News
Paul Brown
14.10.2020
Gerard Lawson is one of our talented Alumni – he joined the London Academy in 2012 and trained on the PMO stream. Today Gerard is a Project Manager at Dyson and also a Founding Director of HydraForm Ltd, a high-quality functional sportswear. In this blog, he tells us about his FDM journey and how his career has developed since.
“I joined FDM after completing my MSc Economics degree. FDM’s Graduate Programme was second to none – it provided me with exposure to project delivery and positioned me for my early project management roles. Without this foundation I would have found it extremely difficult to progress my career and move into the contracting market independently.
I had a very positive experience while working as an FDM consultant for a global financial institution – I was part of their largest data migration programme and had the chance to work with a great team.
When studying International Business Economics at university, my main aim was to work within the financial sector and more specifically, on the econometrics side. My roles with FDM were focused on project and change delivery and I had the opportunity to work with two of the UK’s biggest financial institutions.
What inspires me the most about working in the tech industry is the concept of ‘innovation’. The pursuit to constantly move forward into the future creates a never-ending challenge, that I inherently enjoy. In this technologically advancing age, all industries are starting to realise that the ability to quickly adapt and respond to customers’ ever-changing needs is one of its most crucial assets. Thus, comes the rationale of my personal dedication to developing a technology-focused sportswear brand.
A career tip that I learned from my experience in the corporate environment is to be bold and flexible regarding career opportunities. Looking back, some of the best career decisions I made come from taking opportunities that at first appeared like great risks because of their unfamiliarity. All change is unfamiliar and should make us feel uncomfortable, but it also makes us grow. Staying static in today’s business world is the same as being left behind and will lead to redundancy.“